Hero
by Cindy Ryan
Summary: When an earthquake strikes Los Angeles Ellie finds herself in danger.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Hero  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Pairings: Jellie  
Spoilers: season three  
Summary: When an earthquake strikes Los Angeles Ellie finds herself in danger  
Notes: As always many thanks to kuryakingirl for the beta and encouraging me to post :)

Former NSA agent John Casey allowed himself a moment to enjoy the mid-day sun as he entered the apartment complex courtyard. The last few weeks had been more rain than sun which was typical for winter in southern California.  
Being a civilian again had a few perks.  
Barely any to register but Casey was able to return home for lunch. He hadn't acquired much furniture since the government had reclaimed everything. So the apartment still had a sparse feel to it but it had become home.  
Much to Casey's stint in Burbank had been one of the longest in his career and John realized there could be worse places to have been stationed.

Almost to the fountain John saw the water sloushing over the rim. It was only then that he felt the ground rumble and roll under his feet.  
Earthquake.

Potted plants shattered and fell from balconies. Light bulbs shattered.  
Outdoor furniture toppled.

Casey started to head back to the parking lot which was a more open area when he heard a scream.  
A scream coming from Ellie and Devon's apartment.  
One that was followed by a loud crash.

Instincts took over and John sprinted across the courtyard diving out of the way of a small decorative stature that had fallen from one of the upper apartments.

Kicking in the door John called. "Ellie?"

The normally neat living room was a flatscreen tv was in shards on the floor.  
Knick-knacks and photo frames littered the hardwood.

It was only after he rounded the corner of the sofa that Casey saw Ellie. The young doctor was pinned underneath one of the newly acquired wall to ceiling bookcases. The bookcase was at an angle wedged against the sofa. Books were strewn everywhere. The only visible portion of Ellie was her brown ponytail and one sneakered foot.

"Ellie."John repeated as he skidded to a stop near her head.

When silence answered John gripped the edge of the bookcase. He paused as the earth shook once more causing plates to rattle in the kitchen.

"Ellie, its John."Casey stated as he redoubled his efforts on the bookcase. "I'm going to get you out of here."

The wood groaned as John hefted the oak bookcase. He had only made it a few inches when he spotted the blood pooling by Ellie's right side.

Casey sucked in a breath and bit back a curse. It bothered him on more levels than he cared to examine now that she was hurt.

With renewed determination john lifted the bookcase and managed to prop it on the sofa. He checked her vitals quickly before gently grabbing Ellie by the shoulders and pulling her free.  
Her pulse was a little weaker than he'd like.  
Gently John turned Ellie onto her back. He spotted the source of her injuries. A large jagged piece of clear glass was sticking out of Ellie's right thigh.  
Her upper leg was covered in blood.

Standing Casey ran to the kitchen and grabbed all of the towels out the drawer next to the refrigerator. Returning to Ellie he quickly made a tourniquet out of the yellow towel and tied it around her leg. The glass had cut an artery and he needed to get the bleeding under control. John had seen his share of shrapnel injuries and had suffered some of his own. They were never pretty.

Once the tourniquet was in place John pulled out his cell phone and started to dial 911. It was only then that he realized with the magnitude of the quake they'd be triaging calls. With a grunt John tossed the phone on the sofa and turned his attention to Ellie. Her face was pale and skin was starting to be clammy to the touch. All classic indicators that she was going into shock from the blood loss.

He had to get her help.  
However he couldn't move her with the glass still in.

"I'm sorry Ellie."John said softly even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "This is going to hurt."

Taking one of the other towels John grasped the shard of glass and as quickly and gently as he could pulled it free.  
Thankfully it came out smooth he'd been afraid it would the towel aside John placed the last clean one on Ellie's thigh as a compress. He stood and picked the young doctor up.  
Pausing only to grab his phone Casey left the apartment.

"Hang in there, Ellie."John whispered as he crossed the debris littered courtyard and headed for the parking lot.

Westside Medical Center was a zoo. The waiting room was standing room only as John maneuvered his way through the crowd.  
He tried not to think of the blood on his BuyMore polo or on his hands. He kept steady pressure on Ellie's wound. She hadn't woken at all during the drive which had upped John's worry level a notch.

The fact that Ellie was still in her light purple scrubs coupled with a nurse recognizing her saved John from having to use force. He would have refused to move from the ER if that's what it would've taken to get Ellie looked after.

"What happened?"The blonde middle-aged nurse asked as two orderlies wheeled a gurney over.

"Bookcase fell during the quake. Piece of glass hit an artery."John explained as he reluctantly let Ellie go.

The nurse gently maneuvered Casey out of the way. "We'll take good care of her. Has her husband been notified?"

John grunted negatively. In his rush to get Ellie help he hadn't given Devon a thought.

"I'll take care of it. She mentioned something about him going out of town with friends."The woman replied as she looked Casey up and down taking in the blood and slight scrapes on his hands. "Are you hurt?"

Casey shook his head his gaze never leaving Ellie as they moved her to another part of the ER.

The nurse placed a gentle hand on John's left arm. "I'll update you as soon as I know anything. Have a seat."

Casey remained where he was long after the nurse left. He knew he should try to reach Chuck but he Sarah and Shaw were on a mission. He hadn't overheard enough between Morgan and Chuck at the BuyMore to know where the Intersect was heading.  
This wasn't the type of thing you left on a voicemail or in a text message.

Pulling his attention away from Ellie the former Colonel walked a few steps into the waiting room which was a cell phone safe zone.  
Taking out his cell Casey dialed a familiar speed dial. He wasn't surprised when Chuck's voicemail picked up.

"Call me when you get this. It's about your sister."

Closing the phone and putting it back in his pocket John returned to his previous place of vigil and leaned back against the wall. Folding his arms across his chest he waited.  
Waited and hoped that Ellie would be alright.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Hero  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Pairings: Jellie  
Spoilers: season three  
Summary: when an earthquake strikes Los Angeles Ellie finds herself in danger  
Notes: see part one

Four hours later Ellie was moved to a private room. She'd needed a transfusion to accommodate for the blood loss. Doctors told Casey that the tourniquet had saved her life.  
Too damn close.  
What if he hadn't come home for lunch?

Ellie would be dead, the Intersect compromised and he and Walker shipped out of Los Angeles.  
John shook his head at the image of that bleak future. He looked down at Ellie's still form and wondered not for the first time that day when she'd become had she become more than the Intersect's sister?

Long term assignments had their risks.  
Ellie had become his.

John stood and walked to the window. He looked at his reflection as late afternoon sun bounced off the glass.  
The light blue scrubs a nurse had offered him didn't exactly look foreign.  
He'd done a number of covers that had required him to look medical.  
The scrubs just brought him closer to Ellie's world.  
A world where if he stayed she'd be in danger.

Turning back from the window John rubbed a weary hand along the back of his neck. He sat down in the uncomfortable black plastic chair. Resting his forearms on his knees Casey looked at the woman before him.  
She still looked too pale to him but the doctors had assured him she'd make a full recovery.  
Rest was what she needed.

The nurse in the ER who he later learned her name was Laurie had told him she had reached Devon. But roads in the mountains being what they were it might be tomorrow before Woodcomb was able to get back to Burbank.

With a sigh Casey leaned back in his chair. He'd heard back from Chuck two hours into his ER wait.  
They were enroute back. Would likely be late with all the airport delays.  
John had heard the panic in the younger man's voice and had done his best to tell Chuck that his sister would be fine.  
He wasn't sure if Chuck had believed him or not.

Noticing a stray brown hair had fallen into Ellie's eyes John reached over and gently brushed it away.  
He let his hand linger just a little on her left cheek.  
As he did John tried to remind himself that she was a married woman.  
Tried and failed.

Seeing her hurt had made things clear.  
Some how Ellie had worked past his carefully placed barriers.  
In his life he'd let very few people career had made it easy.  
Always moving; new city, new base.

Then the NSA had come along and there had been new identities and cover stories.  
Protect and serve had become more important than letting people in.

Over the years of being her neighbor and more important brother's friend.  
Ellie had kept tabs.  
Making sure he had a home cooked meal at least once a month.  
Including him in Bartowski social events.  
Nobody had looked after him like that in years.

Ellie stirred under his touch and John felt his breath catch as her eyes slowly opened.

Removing his hand John leaned against the bed. "Ellie?"

Blinking the young doctor turned wincing at the movement. "John? What happened?"

"There was an earthquake. It knocked a bookcase onto you."

"You found me?"

With a grunt John nodded.

"Thank you."Ellie said softly

"I'll let the nurse know you're awake."

As Ellie's eyes drifted closed John retreated into the hall.

As soon as the cab door open Chuck's sneakered feet hit the pavement. He didn't bother to grab his bag as he took off in a sprint for the front door of Westside medical. The intersect knew Sarah would take care of it.  
The only thing that mattered now was his sister and finding out if she was okay.

It'd been the longest flight of his life. Even longer as they were forced to circle LAX do to damaged runways and were finally diverted to Burbank. Now at nearly midnight Chuck walked through the sliding doors to the familiar ER.

Growing up in southern California earthquakes were something that were always in the back of your mind.  
Like tornadoes in the Midwest just something you lived with.  
It'd been awhile since they had one this bad.

Chuck shuddered to think of what could've been if Casey hadn't shown up at Ellie's when he did.  
Another debt that Chuck owed the NSA agent.

Bypassing the nurse's station Chuck bounded into the elevator. Casey had texted to tell him what room Ellie was in.  
Besides Chuck was in no mood for a lecture on visiting hours.

He could feel Sarah's presence as she kept a respectful distance. He was grateful she was there and that she was giving him the space he needed.  
She always seemed to know the right thing to do.

Reaching Ellie's room Chuck took a deep breath. He rested his hand on the door's surface before slowly pushing it inward.  
As his eyes adjusted to the dark the Intersect was rewarded with an unexpected sight.

Former assassin, kick-ass Marine, tough as nails NSA agent John Casey was sound asleep in a chair by his sister's bed. One hand wrapped protectively around Ellie's.  
Chuck blinked making sure the jetlag wasn't causing him to hallucinate. Nope Casey was still holding his sister's hand and Devon was nowhere to be found.

Sarah came to stand next to Chuck. "What is it?"

Chuck stepped aside slightly so she could see in.

With a smile the CIA agent stepped back. "Come on, we'll come back in the morning. Let them sleep."

Opening his mouth to protest Chuck just as quickly closed it. He'd woken Casey before and suffered the consequences. He nodded then quietly stepped into the room. Chuck placed a gentle hand on Elle's left shoulder for a moment before turning and slipping back into the hall.

Bright morning sunlight woke Casey. He opened his eyes and winced at the bad kink in his neck.  
Looking down he found Ellie was still asleep.  
John was surprised to see his hand wrapped around hers.  
Sleep cobwebs still clinging to his thoughts John couldn't help but notice how well the hands fit together.  
How natural it felt. He allowed the contact for a minute longer before letting go.

Standing and stretching Casey checked the clock; just after five thirty. He heard a muted beep and pulled the cell phone out of his pocket.  
John found a waiting text message from the Intersect.

_'Got in late last night. Will come by later this morning. Thanks for taking care of my sister. I owe you one.'_

With a grunt Casey cleared the message from the screen and put the phone back in his pocket. He knew with the city recovering from the earthquake Woodcomb would be home soon. Probably by afternoon at the latest.

Time to leave.  
Time to go back to his world.

However John found himself lingering.  
Watching Ellie sleep.

He captured the image and tucked it away in the back of his mind.  
Something to keep him going later if the wolves started to win.

Touching Ellie's right hand briefly John stepped away from the bed and left the room.

end


End file.
